DOG walkers on heathland areas could be forced to keep their pets on leads if a new initiative to preserve common land and protect birds’ nests is approved.

If the proposal, due to be discussed at full council on Wednesday, is passed, dogs on Esher Common and Oxshott Common would have to be on leads during the bird nesting season, from April to June.

The Countryside Consul-tative Group was provided with information regarding the disturbance of ground-nesting birds by dogs and discussed the Dog Control Orders at the cabinet meeting earlier this month.

Councillor Jan Fuller, portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “Elmbridge’s green spaces are for everyone to use and enjoy.

“I know how lovely it is to walk a dog but some people want to go out for a walk without a dog. It’s our responsibility to make these heathland areas enjoyable for everyone using them.

“Sometimes families with young children like to walk on the commons, or elderly people and they might not like dogs running around disturbing them.

“Some people also, unfortunately, do not clean up after their dogs — that is also a problem to be addressed.”

Cllr Fuller claimed: “We are making these proposals for two reasons — there are two threads to this. One is to protect the ground-nesting birds and the other is to prevent several dogs charging round freely and not being controlled by owners on leads.”

Councillors have also expressed concerns and a leading dog expert said that dog walkers, including professionals, are walking more dogs on leads than they can control.

Ken Cochran, owner with Ken Cochran of Dogs and a specialist in canine education, said: “There are some parks that have rules about how many dogs you can have off the leash at the one time and so I see professional dog walkers with two on leads and two free.

“But if they had to keep them all on the leads, the walkers wouldn’t be able to manage.

“This is especially a problem in big, open areas where dogs really want to run around — they’ll tug more on the leads and be more boisterous.”

Cllr Rachel Lake (Con, Walton North) claimed she has seen large groups of big dogs with professional dog walkers.

She said: “That is just too many dogs for one person to manage, especially when they get rowdy. It can be really dangerous.

“Even if you’re a professional, I just don’t think you can have that many dogs on leads and keep them under control.”